Interview with Laura Fleming Doyle (LFD) Executive Director of the American Academy of Audiology

AO/Beck: Good morning Laura! It's great to speak with you again.

LFD: Hi Doug. Nice to speak with you, too.

AO/Beck: Laura, how long have you been with the American Academy of Audiology?

LFD: It's been two years. My anniversary was February 21, 2003.

AO/Beck: That was a fast two years! Although I believe many of the readers are familiar with you, if you don't mind, let's review a little of your professional background. What did you do before you became Executive Director of The Academy?

LFD: I was the Executive Vice-President of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, an organization of fundraisers for hospitals and health care organizations. Prior to that, I was Director of Council Operations at the American College of Radiology.

AO/Beck: Very Good. Please tell me a little bit about your education?

LFD: I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina and I received my masters from George Washington University in Health Services Administration. I gravitated toward associations once I finished graduate school.

AO/Beck: OK, well after two years at the helm, can you tell me your general thoughts and reflections on The Academy? How do you view The Academy?

LFD: The Academy is still a young organization, but it's growing rapidly and maturing quite nicely. In calendar year 2002 we experienced an 8% increase in membership. When I came on board, the organization had just moved away from an association management group, a natural path that many associations follow as they grow. The Academy is now self-managed. We have over 8000 members, which is a reflection of how well things are going.

AO/Beck: Laura, when you say The Academy has a little over 8000 members, how many FTE audiologists are you aware of in the USA?

LFD: According to the Department of Labor there are 11,040 audiologists practicing in the USA. This figure does not include audiologists who are self-employed. Twenty-six percent of our membership is in private practice. Base on this information, we estimate between 13,000 and 14,000 audiologists practicing in the USA.

AO/Beck: Do you work with the Academy Board of Directors daily, or is it more of a weekly, or monthly event?

LFD: I work with the President of The Academy on a daily basis. I work with other Board members as the need arises. The full Board of Directors meets on a quarterly basis.

AO/Beck: What are the major issues the Board is currently addressing?

LFD: We've just gone through a very important strategic planning process. The new plan started with a membership survey because we wanted to get input and direction from the members. We used the results of the membership survey to shape the direction of the new strategic plan. We had over 900 members participate in the survey.

AO/Beck: Statistically, that should be very powerful.

LFD: Yes, I agree. It was an online survey and it was made available to all Academy members. The Board held a retreat in October, 2002. We had three intensive days working with a facilitator, developing the new plan utilizing the survey results. Then, we came back and met again in Virginia, about a month later, and worked three more days on it. The plan was approved in January and the summary of the plan was published in Audiology Today .

AO/Beck: Very good. In addition to the AT version, the new plan will be attached here, and the readers can view the PDF, if they Click Here.

LFD: I certainly urge audiologists to read the document. It includes statements on the mission, the vision, the values, and it is divided into seven stakeholders. Each stakeholder has separate goals and strategies. The seven stakeholders are the members; audiologists as a whole; the state network program; allied organizations (the hearing industry, consumers; and The Academy leadership. Those are the seven main parties in our strategic plan.

AO/Beck: Laura, can you tell me about the Academy's short-term and long-term goals?

LFD: Sure, let me start by saying that we want to continue to regularly conduct a needs assessment to make sure we identify and address the needs of the members. For example, the academic members felt their issues weren't being addressed as well as they could be, so we're evaluating our ability to impact and improve academics and research as well. The Academy's plans for a health insurance benefit were also identified as a high priority. Additionally, we'll conduct a public relations campaign to increase member awareness of the Academy's products, services, and benefits.

AO/Beck: In other words, do you mean the products and services The Academy has available for consumers and professionals?

LFD: Yes. For example, some of the survey respondents were not aware of what brochures we have available. The Academy publications are listed on The Academy web site as www.audiology.org.

AO/Beck: Well, through the miracle of modern Internet services, we can list the PDFs below and hyperlink to them for the benefit of the readers.

LFD: That would be great. The Academy feels it needs to increase the awareness of what services are available and we're grateful for your assistance in getting the word out!

https://www.audiology.org/Pages/default.aspx

AO/Beck: Laura, how is the Academy doing regarding it's presence and recognition on the Hill?

LFD: The Academy is being recognized by federal agencies. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), The Institute of Medicine, The National Institutes of Health, The Food and Drug Administration, and Congress are contacting us and that's very exciting. It used to be we would call various agencies and they would say they never heard of The Academy. The fact that now they are calling us and asking for The Academy's opinion and input is a terrific sign. Of course, we need to be ready to respond quickly to their needs, and The Academy has a good track record of doing so.

AO/Beck: Laura, what's happening with CMS?

LFD: We've been working with CMS to change the Medicaid definition of a qualified audiologist. The change we've been requesting was recently published in the federal register. The Academy is also working with Capitol Hill to propose legislation for direct access for audiologists. So this is a very exciting time for The Academy.

AO/Beck: Laura, before I let you run, can you tell me a little about the relationship between the ASHA and The Academy and the other national groups?

LFD: I know there's a perception that we don't get along, when in fact, we do make an effort to work collaboratively whenever possible. There are some issues that we're not going to agree on, and so we agree to disagree. Whenever we find common ground, we go out of our way to work together. We also work cooperatively with, SHHH, ADA, the Auditory Verbal Institute, the Deafness Research Foundation, , AG Bell and others, when the opportunity arises. So, I think progress is being made in many of the relationships among the national groups, and that's a very good thing!

AO/Beck: Thank you so much, Laura. It's a pleasure to speak with you and I am certainly appreciative of your time!

LFD: Thank you too, Doug. It's always nice to work with you and the people at Audiology Online.